"We
will also fund additional research in cutting-edge
methods of producing ethanol, not just from corn, but from wood chips
and stalks or switchgrass."

--George
W. Bush, State of the Union Speech, 31 January
2006.

So, what is Switchgrass? It is Panicum virgatum L. , also
called Tall Panic Grass, Wobsqua grass, lowland switchgrass, blackbent,
tall prairiegrass, wild redtop, and thatchgrass. It grows in prairies,
moist open ground, open woods and salt marshes from Maine west to Utah,
and from Canada south to Florida and Arizona, through Mexico and the
West Indies to Costa Rica.

Many farmers grow switchgrass, either as forage for livestock, in
wildlife areas, or as a ground cover, to control erosion. Switchgrass
is also planted as an ornamental. It is easily grown in average to wet
soils and in full sun to part shade, is very drought resistant and is
resistant to many pests and plant diseases. Due to its hardiness and
rapid growth, switchgrass is often considered
a good candidate for farming as feedstock or for biofuel production
(for example, ethanol). Switchgrass has the potential to produce the
biomass required for production of up to 1000 gallons of ethanol per
acre.If the yield is indeed this high, Switchgrass is indeed a very
attractive candidate for biofuel, as this value by far exceeds any
other crop tested. It is presumably because of this high energy yield
that President George W. Bush mentioned the species in his State of the
Union address.

The Virtual Herbarium and the Lu Esther T. Mertz
Library offer the
following resources for more information about Switchgrass: